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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALENZA T. GIFFORD, OF HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE DUTCHER TEMPLE COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

I SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,998, dated September 9, 1890.

Application filed March 27, 1888.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALENZA T. GIFFORD, of Hopedale, county of Worcester, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Automatic Sprinklers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention relates to automatic sprinklers, substantially such as shown and described in another application, Serial No. 243,709, filed by me July 8, 1887, wherein a valve controlling the outlet or discharge opening of a pipe has its valve-stem connected to a reservoir or receptacle containing a volatile medium-such as a hydroGarbon-the said valve being lifted from its seat to permit the discharge of water or other fluid from the pipe when the temperature in the locality in which the sprinkler is placed has reached a predetermined point at which the medium in the reservoir 0r receptacle is volatilized.

My present invention has for one of its objects to obtain at the valve-opening a head or pressure of water substantially equal to the full head of water in the supply-pipe, so that when the said valve is open the water discharged therefrom will strike upon the distributer-plate of the sprinkler with such force as to be thrown therefrom a considerable distance, thus rendering the said sprinkler effective to protect a substantially large area, as in a mill or other building. This feature of my invention I accomplish by providing a chamber above the valve-seat, and into which the valve is extended, the area of the space between the valve and inner wall of the chamber being equal to or greater than the valve-opening, so that when the valve is raised the water will be free to flow unrestricted through the valve-opening at full.

head or normal pressure of. the water in the supply-pipe, the said chamber being preferably formed in an independent casting or fit ting secured to the outlet-pipe and having the sprinkler attached to it, as will be described, or the chamber may be a part of the branch P P Another feature of my invention consists in a distributer-plate, as will be described, by

am No. 268,603. (No model.)

which the water is more effectually broken up or sprayed.

Other features in which my invention consists will be pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 in section and elevation shows a sufficient portion of a pipe provided with my improved sprinkler to enable my invention to be understood, the shield or guard for the reservoir being broken out; Fig. 2, a top or plan view of my improved distributer-plate, and Fig. 3 a side elevation of the plate shown in Fig. 2. v d

The threaded sleeve a, having depending legs a inserted in holes in a distributer-plate a resting upon arms a of a spider a fitted upon a threaded spindle a secured to the under side of a reservoir or receptacle a having screwed or otherwise attached to its upper side the stem a of a valve a loosely fitted thereon, is substantially as in the ap-' plication referred to, the top of the distributer being, however, differently shaped, for a purpose to be described. The threaded sleeve a has screwed upon it, as shown, a casting or fitting having an annular enlargement, as b, to form a chamber 12 into which the valve a projects, the bottom of'the chamber b being herein shown substantially flush with the top of the threaded-sleeve a, which forms the seat for the valve. The casting or fitting herein shown has a threaded extension b preferably screwed into the threaded end of a pipe b which in practice will be a branch pipe of a main or supply pipe. (Not herein shown.)

In operation the valve is raised from its seat by the expansion or bulging out of the upper side of the reservoir a, due to the volatilization of the hydrocarbon or other medium therein-suoh as alcohol, &c.by the heat generated by a fire breaking out in the locality in which the sprinkler is placed. When the valve has been raised from its seatas, for instance, into the position shown by dotted lines-the water in the chamber b and pipe 12 is forced through the valve-opening at the normal or full pressure of the water in the supply-pipe, the area of the space between the valve and inner wall of the chamber being sufficiently great to permit the water to be charged upon the distributerplate a under full pressure. The distributer-plate a is concaved from its center toward the circumference or periphery thereof to a point substantially near the center of a radius, as at c, and from this point the plate is inclined downward to a point sub-midway between the point e and the periphery at c, an annular rim or flange 0 being formed at this point.

The distributer-plate a normally supports an auxiliary distributer, shown as a corrugated sheet-metal ring 0 large enough to be readily slipped over the threaded sleeve a, but of smaller diameter than the enlargement b of the fitting or casting, the said auxiliary distributer being thus free to be raised from the plate a by the force of the water. The corrugations c of the auxiliary distributer are preferably made at an angle to a radial line of the distributer-plate a so that when the water is forced out radially the edges of the corrugated ring will more minutely di vide the said water, thus producing a very fine spray. The corrugations will preferably be beveled at their outer ends, as at c c, to cause the water to be shot or guided upward at difierent angles, the bevel 0 as shown, being steeper than the bevel c. As the water strikes against the bevels of the corrugated ring, rotation is thus imparted to the said ring, which tends to more effectually spray the water. The corrugated ringis also raised from the distributer-plate a by the water passing under the corrugations c and some 7 of the water which passes under the said corrugations is projected upwardly by the concave shape of the said plate, while some strikes against the rim or flange, thus creating a spray which is carried away from the sprinkler by the water deflected by the auxiliary distributer. By means of the distributer-plate and auxiliary distributer herein shown, a larger area may be wet and thereby protected than by distributers as heretofore constructed and known to me. The valve will be maintained open by a clutch-ring d, resting on an arm d on the under side of the distributer-plate, and the reservoir may be protected from the cooling effect of the water by the shield (1 as in the application referred to.

The reservoir a? will preferablybe made as herein shown, its bottom being rigid or of such strength as not to be bulged out or distorted by the volatilization of the hydrocarbon or other medium, the latter acting only on the upper or flexible part of the reservoir, thereby causing the valve to be moved from its seat very quickly and at a minimum expansion of the volatile medium.

I have herein shown the chamber Z2 as formed by an independent casting; but I do not desire to limit my invention to this particular construction, as the branch pipe itself may be made of sufficient size withrelation to the threaded nozzle o to obtain the desired area or space between the valve and inner wall of said pipe.

I claim- 1. In an automatic sprinkler,a distributerplate and valve-seat and avalve fitted thereon, combined with a chamber into which the said valve is extended, said chamberbetween the valve and its inner wall being of an area substantially equal to or greater than the valve-opening, and with an auxiliary distributer composed of a corrugated ring, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic sprinkler, a distributerplate,a valve-seat and a valve fitted thereon, and a reservoir to contain a volatile medium and connected to said valve, combined with an auxiliary distributer composed of a corrugated ring, substantially as described.

In an automatic sprinkler, a distributcrplate having its upper face concaved and provided with a rim or flange, as c, a threaded sleeve supported thereby and constituting a valveseat, a reservoir to contain a volatile medium, a valve-stem connected thereto, and

avalve mounted on said stem, combined with a casting or fitting having an enlargement, as b, to form a chamber 12 substantially as and for the purpose specified. l

4. In an automatic sprinkler,a distributerplate, a valve-seat and avalve fitted thereon, and a reservoir to contain a volatile medium and connected to said valve, combined with an auxiliary distributer composed of a corrugated ring having beveled sides 0 c", substantially as described.

5. In an automatic sprinkleiga distributerplate, a valve-seat and a valve fitted thereon, and-a reservoir to contain a volatile medium and connected to said valve, combined with an auxiliary distributer composed of a ring having corrugations inclined with relation to the radii of the distributer plate, whereby rotation is imparted to the said ring by the water or other fluid discharged from the sprinkler, substantially as described.

6. In an automatic sprinkler, a distributerplate and valve-seat and a valve fitted thereon, combined with-a chamber into which the said valve is extended, said chamber between the valve and its inner wall being of an area substantially equal to or greater than the valve-opening, and with a corrugated ring forming a movable and rotatable auxiliary distributer normally supported by the distributer-plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALENZA T. GIFFORD. \Vitnesses:

F. J. DUTCHER, H. F. SEARLES. 

